New Jay Slater clue discovered by expert in Tenerife search for missing teen

An expert involved in the search for Jay Slater has claimed to discover a new "clue" and is convinced he understands the distressing reason why the teen may have eluded official search teams. The 19 year old's relatives are now relying on specialist volunteers after Spanish authorities called off their search efforts.

Despite a thorough two-week operation in Parque Rural de Teno near Masca village in Tenerife, where Jay was last confirmed to be staying at an Airbnb, a Civil Guard spokesperson announced: "The search operation has now finished although the case remains open."

It has been three weeks since Jay vanished on the morning of June 17, with his father Warren Slater, mother Debbie Duncan, and elder brother Zak receiving support from skilled experts in the area. One such individual is Christopher Pennington, a former member of the British military who moved to Tenerife in 2006, drawn by the allure of the Canary Islands.

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Chris, who has since ventured into property development, leveraging his military background, voiced his astonishment when the formal search was called off. He has openly criticised the police for limiting their search to established paths, presuming Jay would have followed suit. "This area has not been searched properly," he told Mail+, reports the Manchester Evening News.

As Chris traverses the rugged terrain of Parque Rural de Teno, the focus of the search since the disappearance of the young trainee bricklayer, he encountered a new "clue". Just days after the official search was called off, a British former reservist claimed he came across a chilling clue: a pair of sunglasses with one lens missing, strikingly similar to those worn by the 19 year old at the NRG festival before he vanished.

The discovery was made in the vicinity where the last signal from the teen's phone was picked up. The ex-reservist, Chris, promptly handed the sunglasses to the police, who have now included them in their ongoing investigation. TV investigator Mark Williams-Thomas is also on the case, having spoken to Ayub Qassim, 31, also known as 'Jonny Vegas', one of the final individuals to see the young man.

Qassim, the man who drove Jay to the secluded holiday home, has allegedly divulged details about their journey. According to The Mirror, in an effort to piece together Jay's last movements, Chris followed the path from the bustling coastal nightlife spot to the Airbnb where the teenager was staying, driving from Papagayo nightclub to Casa Abuela Tina in Masca at 5.30am on Saturday.

Speaking to Mail+, he recounted maintaining a speed under 15km per hour due to the perilous hairpin turns. Describing the conditions, he said: "It's dark, it's extremely dangerous," and added: "Let me be frank, it's scary up here on your own in the darkness."

Chris theorises that Jay, possibly in haste to leave the holiday home, may have tragically misjudged his way and descended into the ravine, mistakenly believing the coast was closer than reality. Chris, who is leading the search for missing teen Jay, has pinpointed what he believes are the 'most sensible' areas to look which match precisely with the last-known signal from Jay's mobile.

Attempting to navigate through tangled and prickly vegetation close to where Jay's sunglasses were found, he described the incredibly challenging conditions. His hands were scarred and grazed as he confessed that he could barely see two metres ahead due to the dense thicket.

Despite battling in the intensive heat, Chris said: "You can only imagine that he's looked down at the coastline in the distance and thinks it's a lot closer than it really is. And that heading straight through the bush is the quickest route to safety."

However, after experiencing the rugged off-road landscape himself, Chris questioned why Jay wouldn't revert back to the safer path. He said: "If Jay came off the path and went through there, like I've just done, he wouldn't leave the path again. You'd have to be mad."

Conducting the search alongside Warren and Zak is 53 year old Juan Garcia and his four year old sniffer dog Caperucita. Discussing the formidable patch of terrain, he soberly told the Mail that spotting anything from the air would be near impossible.

"It's a labyrinth of bushes and you can't see much from the air. We really are looking for a needle in a haystack," he said. Before his disappearance, Jay phoned his friend Lucy Law, who he was staying with in the south of the island, to inform her that he was attempting to return to their hotel but his phone battery was running low.

Lucy recalled that he mentioned feeling "thirsty" and being lost. She also disclosed that Jay had suffered an injury from a cactus. Additionally, another friend, Bradley Hargreaves, remembered hearing Jay fall during the call.

Appearing on This Morning, a visibly upset Brad, aged 19, spoke fondly of Jay's zest for life and recounted the last words he heard from him, as Jay promised to call back after hanging up because "someone else ringing him". Brad explained that initially, Jay did not seem too worried about finding his way back when he first became separated from his friends in Tenerife.

On the programme, Brad said: "He was on the phone and he goes: 'I've got to walk and go all down that road'". Brad also expressed his belief that Jay would have opted for a safer route than the one he discussed on the call.

He then described how he realised Jay had deviated from the path, noting the sound of Jay's feet sliding on gravel, which indicated he had "went off the road.. That's how I knew he went off the road because, you know when you walk on gravel, or whatever it is, you can... you know what I mean, stones."

He added: "I said: 'put your location on. He said: '15 minute drive, fourteen-hour walk.' I don't know if it's accurate or not so I said to him: 'it's only a 15-min drive, get a taxi."